Devoted to online marketing, viral marketing, and web marketing

The recent hoopla about Southwest Airlines (LUV) telling a couple women they couldn't go on the airplane because of the way they were dressed brings up an interesting marketing issue.

First of all, the two separate incidents have brought about a lot of publicity, especially the second one. It has brought a lot of passionate debate on both sides of the issue.

Coming from the point of view that a brand and marketing are intertwined at any company, this doesn't necessarily have to be that big of a deal for any business.

If your brand stands for a certain thing, then your marketing shouldn't be that difficult to put into place. In this case, telling the women they were inappropriately dressed for Southwest Airlines wasn't the real issue, the real issue is what Southwest Airlines stands for and if their actions lined up with it.

When I mention marketing, part of marketing would be implementing your brand throughout the business with your actions. The question then becomes for Southwest Airlines: Was that what happened here or not? If it is, then they need to be clear and precise about it so consumers can know beforehand.

What these situations have done, in my estimation, has forced Southwest to declare one way or the other if this is part of who they are. The fact that it has happened two times seems to say they have instituted this as part of their brand. If so they need to communicate and confirm it.

What will get Southwest in trouble is not clearly stating their position. The issue has come to the forefront, they can't hide from it now. Either way, they're going to step on somebody's toes here. Yet that's what being a brand does. When you stand for something, it means you're not standing for something else.

If Southwest has decided to be consistent in enforcing certain dress codes, they need to make that decision and stick with it. To vacillate at this time would be a mistake.

The reason I said in the first sentence it is an interesting marketing issue, is because it brings us back to deciding what we stand for as a brand. Marketing is nothing more than taking our brand and communicating what that is in a variety of way through a variety of products or services.

Southwest seems to be saying through it's actions, that it's taking a stronger stand on what its brand represents. Now that people have taken side, it'll be interesting to see if they indeed have taken a stand for their brand, or will try to placate those they've offended.

By allowing the situation to happen more than once, they've brought themselves to this position. Now we'll see if it was done purposely or someone had dropped the ball.